Madison Keys expressed her emotions in teeny-tiny words on the camera lens after her dramatic semifinal win against Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open: “Oh my God.”
The shock of the American tennis star was evident to everyone, everyone could feel the surprise hidden on her face even before she wrote these words on the camera lens. When she wiped the tears from her eyes after the match, it was clear that the significance of her life in society is still fully felt.
It would not be wrong to say that this was the biggest victory of her career, which gave her a second Grand Slam final appearance and this was her first Grand Slam final which she played in Melbourne. To reach this success, she had saved a match point and then won in a very exciting super tie-break and that too against a player whom she had beaten only once before.
“Aryna Sabalenka Battles Madison Keys in Thrilling Australian Open Final”
After winning 11 matches, Keys will get a chance to win her first Grand Slam title when she takes on Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne on Saturday at 3:30 am. ET.
“My mind is still jetting off and thinking about what I’m going to say,” the 29-year-old Keys told reporters after a two-and-a-half-hour drive to her best form. She said she won against Swiatek, a five-time Slam champion. Swiatek did not reach the semifinals but lost only 14 games.
Keys will face a strong opponent in Saturday’s final. Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Spain’s Paula Badosa in the semifinals, could become the first player to win back-to-back Australian Open titles in 26 years, cementing her world No. 1 status
“Historic Showdown: Sabalenka and Keys Take Australian Open Final to Deciding Set”
Only Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, whom Hingis surpassed in 1999, have ever managed to win the Australian Open three times. Now Sabalenka is in a strong position to add her name to that list.
“To get to this stage, she’s doing a lot of things right,” Graf, who completed her three-peat in 1990, told CNN Sport this week. “I think her body is stronger and her luck is better to fend off the younger guys.”
“Madison Keys on the Verge of Grand Slam Triumph at Australian Open”
“It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, right? The body and the mind have to be ready for it. And she seems to have done a pretty good job of that.”
The Belarusian has made Melbourne her second home, dropping just one set en route to the final. At her best, the 26-year-old Sabalenka’s powerful hitting from the baseline is so potent that she is unstoppable, especially on hard courts.
This weekend, it could be Sabalenka’s fourth Grand Slam title, adding another to her name after winning two Australian Open titles and last year’s US Open. The 19th seed will play against Keys, who has lost to Sabalenka four of the last five times she has faced her, as a strong favourite to secure a landmark three-peat.
“Australian Open Women’s Final: Sabalenka and Keys Deliver a Match for the Ages”
“I feel proud of myself, proud of my team that we got ourselves in this position,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview on Thursday.
“It’s a privilege. If I can put my name in history, it would mean a lot to me. It would mean the world to me… I really couldn’t even dream of it. Before, I only dreamed of winning a Grand Slam, and now I’m getting this opportunity. Yeah, so amazing.”
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